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I thought that this might be of interest to you all. Apologies for the delay in picking this off the DCMS website. Regards Gillian Whichelo 96/2000 4 May 2000 CHRIS SMITH ANNOUNCES NINE APPOINTMENTS TO THE BOARD OF RESOURCE (THE COUNCIL FOR MUSEUMS, ARCHIVES AND LIBRARIES) Culture Secretary Chris Smith today announced nine appointments to the Board of Resource (The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries). The appointments are for a term of three years and bring membership of the Board to fourteen including the Chairman, Lord Evans. The final three Board appointments are expected to be announced before the summer. The new members of the Board are Ajay Chowdhury, Dr Maurna Crozier, Vivien Griffiths, Nicholas Hodgson, Mark Jones, Neil MacGregor, Elizabeth Jane Ryder, Michael Stevenson and Professor Lola Young. They join Loyd Grossman, Mark Wood, Karen Knight and Victor Gray who were appointed in January 2000 and Chairman Lord Evans who was appointed last year. Announcing the latest appointments Culture Secretary Chris Smith said: "These appointments create a strong, multi-skilled team on the Resource Board. The new intake strengthens the Board's expertise in museums, archives and libraries and will help to establish constructive relationships with the worlds of Higher Education, local government, the creative industries and cultural institutions in Scotland and Northern Ireland. "I am particularly keen to ensure that the two outstanding representatives of the national museums and galleries who have agreed to be members of the board will lead the development of greater cooperation and joint working between national, regional and local museums. Their appointment demonstrates Resource's commitment to working in partnership with all types of institution in support of museums, archives and libraries and those who use them." Resource's Chairman Lord Evans commented: "I am delighted that we have a board of such high quality. We are confident that we can now deliver our ambitious agenda." Biographical Notes on new Resource Board members Ajay Chowdhury is Managing Director of LineOne, a leading content portal and the UK's second largest internet service provider. LineOne has over a million visitors to its site every month. He joined United News and Media in 1991 and was responsible for starting and developing the new media division - United Interactive -in 1994. United Interactive has grown since then to encompass Anglia Multimedia (one of the UK's leading educational publishers), Definition Digital Media (a leading UK web developer) and AngliaCampus ( a joint venture with BT to provide online educational services to schools and homes). Ajay Chowdhury is Artistic Director of the Rented Space Theatre Company and Vice Chairman of Index on Censorship. Dr Maurna Crozier is Director of the Cultural Diversity Programme of the Northern Ireland Community Relations Council. She is also President of the Linen Hall Library, a Trustee of the National Museums and Galleries of Northern Ireland, a Member of the Northern Ireland Museums Council and a Member of the Advisory Committee for British Cultural Studies at the British Council. Her career has included teaching, lecturing, writing and broadcasting. She is an Honorary Fellow of the Department of Social Anthropology at Queen's University, Belfast. Vivien Griffiths is Assistant Director for Libraries and Learning at Birmingham City Council and has responsibility for one of England's largest public library services, embracing 39 Community Libraries and the most heavily used Central Library in the country. She is also responsible for the archives service of the City of Birmingham. She is a Director of the Academy of Youth (University of the First Age) and of the Learning City Network. Vivien Griffiths is Vice President (England)of the Society of Chief Librarians and Chair of the EARL (Electronic Access to Resources in Libraries) Council. Nicholas Hodgson is Chief Executive of Derbyshire County Council. He started work at the County Council in 1975 as a planning assistant and quickly moved into corporate management. He has been involved in a broad range of activities from European affairs and voluntary sector support to the campaign that persuaded Toyota to locate in Derbyshire and the successful outcome of Local Government Review. As Chief Executive for the last three years he has concentrated on empowering front-line services, laying the ICT foundations for the future whilst keeping an eye on service effectiveness and efficiency through the development of Best Value. Mark Jones has been Director of the National Museums of Scotland since 1992. Before that he was Keeper of Coins and Medals at the British Museum. Mark Jones serves on the Boards of SCRAN (Scottish Cultural Resources Access Network), the Scottish Museums Council, the Royal Mint Advisory Committee and the Visual Arts Research Institute. He is a Member of the Scottish Executive's Focus Group which assists with the development of the Executive's National Cultural Strategy. Neil MacGregor has been Director of the National Gallery since 1987. Before that he was Editor of the Burlington Magazine. He is a Member of the Boards of Electors of the Ashmolean Museum and the Fitzwilliam Museum and is a former Chairman of the National Museums Directors' Conference. Neil MacGregor is a Trustee of the Raad van Toezicht of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam and is a member of the UNESCO Advisory Group of the Hermitage, St Petersburg and of the Visiting Committee of the J Paul Getty Museum, Malibu. Elizabeth Jane Ryder has been Director of the Scottish Museums Council since 1995. She is a Director of SCRAN (Scottish Cultural Resources Access Network), a Trustee of Dunedin Consort, Company Secretary of the Scottish Refugee Council and a Board Member of the Stevenson College of Further Education. Jane Ryder is a qualified solicitor. She was a Council Member of the Law Society of Scotland from 1986 to 1995 and is currently Convenor of a Law Society Working Party on the Ethical Standards (Scotland) Bill. Michael Stevenson is Joint Director of Factual and Learning at the BBC, with responsibility for Education. Since 1992 he has held a series of top management jobs at the Corporation; Secretary of the BBC (1992 -1996); Deputy Director of Nations and Regions (1996 -1999); Director of Education (1999 - 2000); and joint Director of Factual and Learning (April 2000). Professor Lola Young is Professor of Cultural Studies at Middlesex University. She is Project Director of the National Museum and Archives of Black History, a Member of the Boards of the Institute for International Visual Arts and the Royal National Theatre, and also serves on the Arts Council of England's Visual Arts Training and Education sub-committee and the British Council's British Studies sub-committee. She has been active in developing procedures for assessment of scholarly research activity for the Higher Education Funding Council and the Quality Assurance Agency. Notes to Editors 1. Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries is the new name for the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLAC), the strategic body which replaced the Museums and Galleries Commission (MGC) and the Library and Information Commission (LIC) on 3 April this year. 2. Lord Evans was appointed as Chair of Resource in August 1999. Four other Board appointments were announced in January 2000. Resource will have a maximum Board membership of 17, although the number may vary as circumstances require. 3. Appointments to Resource are made by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport . Future appointments will include representatives from education, fine art and the cultural institutions of Wales. Press Enquiries : 0207 211 6276 Out of Hours Pager : 01399 751153 Public Enquiries : 0207 211 6200 Internet : http://www.culture.gov.uk %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%